Fernando Motta

Three-way wingsuit jump with Fernando as the second jumper. the time was after 11:30am and the wind was quite strong at the exit. Fernando impacted a flat part of the ridge after about 30 seconds of flight. he did not appear to have attempted to pull his pilot chute. there was one witness from the exit. i was the third jumper and had visual on Fernando for most of his jump, excluding the last 2 seconds when i bailed into the canyon to the right not wanting to commit to the terrain. The first jumper had a good flight with plenty of altitude. I felt the strong head wind and subsequent lack of speed on my flight. SPOT devices were activated immediately and the jumper still at the exit hiked higher up the mountain to gain reception and talk with local emergency response directly. fruitless attempts were made from both sides of the ridge to reach Fernando by foot before the helicopter arrived and began it's search.

Variables:
- Fernando had only 10 jumps (total BASE and skydive) on this particular suit
- the decision to do a three way and the flight path were decided on the exit moments before jumping without time for mental preparation.
- this particular line had never been flown before
- Fernando hiked twice the day before and commented on "feeling that second hike" as we approached the exit. the hike is about 3 1/2 hours with the entire altitude of the jump done on foot.
- later then planned start to the hike had us at the exit after 11am.
- wind was discussed, but it's importance was trivialized by our confidence in our "big" suits

Analysis:
as in most BASE jumping fatalities a COMBINATION of less then ideal variables brings about the tragic result. change any two of those, probably any one and the result could have been different. terrain-proximity experience, experience level with a particular suit, fatigue levels, wind, jump order, flight plan discussion and preparedness (especially on new exits or lines!) and your gut feeling all need to be considered before jumping. Fernando was a talented climber and jumper and super-psyched dude. he is deeply missed by his family and friends.